White House Teleprompter Operator Suspended After Using Inside Information to Bet on Trump Speeches

A White House teleprompter operator has been placed on unpaid administrative leave following allegations that he used his position to place bets on specific words and phrases President Trump would use during major speeches, generating nearly $100,000 in winnings before regulators froze the account. The incident has prompted federal authorities to investigate what officials describe as a breach of strict White House ethical guidelines governing employee conduct and use of sensitive information.

The Investigation

Gabriel Perez, who has operated Trump's teleprompter since 2016 as a deputy assistant to the president and technical adviser, is at the center of the inquiry. Records show he earned an annual salary of $175,000 in his role. Authorities allege that Perez exploited his access to advance knowledge of presidential speeches by placing bets on Kalshi, an online prediction market platform that allows users to wager on whether specific words or phrases will be mentioned in public addresses.

The suspicious activity centered on Kalshi's "mention markets," where participants predict whether speakers will reference particular countries, economic terminology, campaign slogans, or other common phrases. Kalshi's surveillance team identified unusual betting patterns during March and reported the findings to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), the federal regulator overseeing such platforms. The platform subsequently froze more than $90,000 in Perez's account before any profits could be withdrawn.

White House Response

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced the suspension, characterizing the situation as "deeply unfortunate and frankly a disgrace." She confirmed that President Trump had been informed of the matter and stated that Perez would no longer work at the White House. Another operator handled Trump's teleprompter during a subsequent address to the nation on election integrity. Leavitt emphasized that the White House maintains "extremely strict ethical guidelines" regarding such violations.

According to sources familiar with the investigation, Perez has demonstrated full cooperation with federal regulators as they assess the allegations. Federal prosecutors in Manhattan declined to open a criminal case, though the CFTC has not publicly confirmed or denied any ongoing investigation. Kalshi's enforcement leadership confirmed the company reported the trades to authorities and continues to assist regulators in their review.

Broader Context

This case arrives as the Department of Justice has begun pursuing its first insider trading prosecutions tied to prediction markets. Related cases include a special forces soldier accused of betting on the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, and a Google employee charged with placing bets on user search activity using internal company information. Both defendants have pleaded not guilty, indicating that prediction market insider trading represents a developing area of federal enforcement.